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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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Word bank
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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: deal · ball · clip · vault · temple · branch · fall · bulb

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — a division
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a dance
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — the season

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