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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: mouse · wind · clip · track · lean · coach · vault · staff

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — for paper
  14. track — a path
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. lean — to bend
  22. track — to keep track
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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