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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: coach · tube · vault · saw · cell · court · prune · perch

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. court — for sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of a king
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cell — a phone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. perch — the fish

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