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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 · bark · march · sharp · prune · pound · leaves · bear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pound — a weight
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. sharp — clever

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