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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: prune · field · mate · vault · bark · capital · arm · rock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rock — a stone
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — to breed
  12. field — farmland
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. capital — a city
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bark — to shout
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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