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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: bore · vault · band · prune · leaves · tube · ground · arm

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — to drill
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bore — to tire
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a music group
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — to trim
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. arm — part of the body

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