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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 120 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: spell · bark · mouse · straw · vault · stick · wound · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — a short time
  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