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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cap — of ice
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. object — to protest
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cap — a hat
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cap — a lid
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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