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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: clip · wind · press · rule · trunk · bulb · vault · mug

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — a law
  4. clip — to cut
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mug — a face
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — to push
  11. mug — to rob
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — newspapers
  20. clip — a video
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — government
  24. press — a publisher

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