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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. clip — a video
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bark — to shout
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a document
  15. clip — to cut
  16. file — a tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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