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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: land · cap · bulb · mouse · clip · wake · vault · chair

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cap — a lid
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — a country
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a hat
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  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