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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. track — a path
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. track — to keep track
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — for paper
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rash — hasty
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — a thing
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — a container
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — the underground
  21. object — an aim
  22. track — a song
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — a video

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