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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: plane · clip · wound · stand · bore · bear · vault · chair

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. plane — a tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bore — to drill
  22. clip — a video
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a leader

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