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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — final
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spring — of water
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. last — finally
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — to grow
  19. clip — a video
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stem — to come from

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