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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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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: club · clip · vault · rock · court · calf · branch · bay

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — music
  5. club — a group
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — a division
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — for sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. court — of law
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. clip — a video
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. court — of a king
  24. vault — a safe

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