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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: prune · march · rule · fan · vault · hide · court · present

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. present — there
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. present — the time now
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. present — a gift
  13. rule — government
  14. court — of a king
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. court — of law
  21. rule — a law
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — a safe

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