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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. clip — to cut
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — a short time
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — of a word
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. root — of a plant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. root — the cause
  20. bank — for money
  21. stand — to bear
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rock — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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