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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.

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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: vault · prune · last · root · bore · band · pound · mate

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — to drill
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. root — of a plant
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — final
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mate — to breed
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. vault — a safe
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. bore — to tire
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pound — to hit hard

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