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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: clip · cap · stand · vault · fine · land · roll · tear

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fine — all right
  4. roll — a list
  5. cap — a hat
  6. clip — to cut
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — a country
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. clip — a video
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tear — to rip
  23. land — to come down
  24. tear — from crying

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