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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: prune · vault · mug · tear · toast · wake · rest · rule

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mug — a face
  4. rule — government
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rule — a law
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rest — a break
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — a trail
  15. toast — bread
  16. rest — what's left
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mug — to rob
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mug — a cup

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