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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: coach · straw · prune · bore · vault · sharp · face · temple

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — a safe
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bore — to tire
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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