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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 116 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: rule · bear · bass · straw · vault · pop · root · clip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — of a plant
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bass — low music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rule — government
  22. vault — a safe
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — soda

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