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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. object — to protest
  6. clip — a video
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pop — music
  9. object — a thing
  10. vault — a safe
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. object — an aim
  15. squash — the sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pop — to visit
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pop — soda
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. squash — the vegetable

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