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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: roll · shower · coach · vault · pitcher · pop · prune · wax

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — to visit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. roll — a list
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — to wash
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. coach — a trainer

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