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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. band — a ring
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — to breed
  18. deal — to handle
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. drill — a practice

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