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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: content · coach · prune · sharp · tear · face · vault · cue

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. face — to confront
  10. content — happy
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — to point toward
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. face — part of the head
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cue — for pool
  20. content — the amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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