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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: hide · prune · chair · vault · bound · stem · wave · kid

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. vault — a safe
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. prune — the fruit

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