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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — high quality
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. vault — a safe
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — a coil
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. clip — to cut
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fine — all right
  18. spring — the season
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — of water
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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