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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: deal · bat · vault · ground · rock · lean · prune · rest

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rest — a break
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rock — music
  21. deal — to handle
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lean — thin
  24. rock — to move gently

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