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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · vault · leaves · row · pop · bark · racket · object

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. object — an aim
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. object — a thing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. row — a line
  18. pop — soda
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. row — to paddle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — of a tree

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