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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. capital — money
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a city
  18. branch — a division
  19. lean — thin
  20. march — music
  21. vault — a safe
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  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