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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bound — tied together
  3. clip — a video
  4. bark — to shout
  5. toast — bread
  6. key — the most important part
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — to cut
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. toast — the most admired

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