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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.

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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: safe · vault · bulb · temple · ground · straw · scale · clip

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ground — crushed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. clip — a video
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — of a plant

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