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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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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 · tear · bore · court · vault · bay · cabinet · cap

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — a lid
  8. court — of a king
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. vault — a safe
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bore — to drill
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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