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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — a hint
  12. band — a ring
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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