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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — to cut
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — of a river
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — in biology
  10. charge — a price
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — a video
  13. cell — a phone
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — a container
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — the underground

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