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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. vault — a safe
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a ring
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a music group
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pound — a weight
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — letters

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