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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. band — a ring
  3. fall — the season
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — a video
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — to drop
  24. roll — a list

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