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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pass — a permit
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rash — hasty
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — a series
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. lean — to rest against

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