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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: lean · charge · fan · nail · bat · clip · vault · cell

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — a phone
  11. charge — in control
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — to cut
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lean — to bend
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — in biology

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