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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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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: staff · file · suit · hide · vault · rest · clip · prune

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — for paper
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a line of people
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. vault — a safe
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. suit — clothes
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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