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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · spring · cabinet · mug · tube · saw · clip · vault

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — a face
  20. tube — a container
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — to rob
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — to cut

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