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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: prune · rule · present · spring · branch · vault · chair · dip

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — the season
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chair — a leader
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — of water

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