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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. can — a tin

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