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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · march · vault · bulb · tear · bowl · rest · prune

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — steady
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. march — music

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