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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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Word bank
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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: bear · face · deal · game · swing · bulb · prune · vault

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. face — part of the head
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bulb — for light
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. deal — to handle

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