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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rash — hasty
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — a gift
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. present — there
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — to paddle

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