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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: vault · arm · rock · band · kid · mark · clip · bank

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a music group
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — child
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bank — of a river
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. clip — a video

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