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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
468
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: mine · fan · swing · clip · last · safe · vault · bulb

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — finally
  17. clip — to cut
  18. last — final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — to go on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. swing — music

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