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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: trunk · prune · vault · cue · wind · pass · mouse · calf

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. vault — a safe
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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