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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: vault · prune · mug · wound · cell · bark · charge · wax

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — to trim
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a face
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mug — a cup
  24. charge — in control

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