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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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468
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: bulb · clip · staff · vault · spring · foot · plane · snap

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — of water
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. clip — a video
  6. spring — a coil
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. clip — for paper
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. staff — employees
  12. plane — a tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bulb — of a plant

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