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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — help
  3. bound — tied together
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bore — to drill
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  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