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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 120 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: vault · root · clip · bat · hide · coach · calf · staff

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. clip — to cut
  11. staff — a stick
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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