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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 116 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: spell · clip · dip · vault · saw · rule · band · wind

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. dip — to sink
  9. band — a ring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spell — letters
  14. band — a music group
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — a law
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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