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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.

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: capital · mate · rush · vault · plane · jam · bear · clip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bear — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mate — a partner
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — for paper
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. clip — a video
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. plane — an aircraft

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