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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a city
  4. present — there
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — a safe
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a line
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. present — a gift

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