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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 120 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: prune · calf · hand · vault · pop · clip · club · cabinet

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — to visit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — a group
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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