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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lean — to bend

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