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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chair — a leader
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — a video
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. branch — a division
  22. cold — an illness
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chair — a professorship

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