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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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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: calf · tear · bulb · stock · cold · vault · clip · hide

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — for paper
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cold — an illness
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stock — goods

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