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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: vault · arm · track · tear · chair · pound · prune · craft

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chair — a leader
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. craft — a skill
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. craft — boats
  23. arm — part of the body
  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