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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a trace
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — of water
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — to be able to
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — the season
  14. can — a tin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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