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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — a subject
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ground — crushed
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — letters
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com