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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 120 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: kick · degree · rule · prune · lie · chip · bark · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rule — a law
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — government
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — to recline
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chip — to eat
  24. prune — to trim

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