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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 met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. vault — a safe
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — to shout
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. race — the arms race

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