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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: suit · bark · tear · prune · vault · cold · capital · safe

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cold — not warm
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. suit — to fit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cold — an illness
  21. tear — to rip
  22. suit — clothes
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. capital — a big letter

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