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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: pound · perch · vault · ground · bear · nail · rule · prune

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rule — government
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. vault — a safe
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rule — a law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pound — a weight

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