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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fine — high quality
  8. field — farmland
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. clip — for paper
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — ministers

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