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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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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: vault · kid · cabinet · board · trunk · prune · clip · ruler

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — to get on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — a video
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. prune — to trim

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