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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · season · club · deal · clip · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. 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. club — for golf
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — in sport
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. club — for dancing
  12. clip — a video
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. vault — a safe
  15. club — a group
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. 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