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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: foot · mug · vault · band · bark · cap · clip · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — a measure
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cap — a lid
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — of ice
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mug — a face
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — a video
  24. wind — moving air

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