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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 116 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: mark · bear · vault · prune · cap · bore · bay · last

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bore — to tire
  9. last — final
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mark — a grade

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