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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: plane · cap · tear · court · perch · clip · vault · wave

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cap — a lid
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. tear — from crying
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. plane — a tool

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