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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: bark · prune · hide · ruler · bound · vault · fall · wake

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — the season
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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