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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: prune · kid · mate · board · bark · vault

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — to shout
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — to breed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — a safe
  16. board — to get on
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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