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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — a video
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. root — the cause
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. calf — of the leg

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