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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: charge · tear · prune · squash · vault · ruler

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — to rip
  4. charge — electricity
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. charge — in control
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. squash — to crush

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