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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: bark · prune · capital · kick · vault · plane · court · bear

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. capital — money
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — in football
  24. plane — an aircraft

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