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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. face — to point toward
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. craft — boats
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — to confront
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — of water
  24. craft — a skill

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