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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: prune · jam · patient · pitcher · bark · arm · craft · vault

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. craft — a skill
  8. vault — a safe
  9. craft — boats
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bark — to shout
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — a handicraft

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