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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bank — for money
  7. vault — a safe
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rule — government
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — for paper
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — in a road
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rule — a law
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bank — for money
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — a video
  24. suit — clothes

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