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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: firm · date · fork · vault · stem · clip · rule · patient

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — to come from
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — in a road
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. firm — steady
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. date — the fruit
  21. firm — a company
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. firm — decided

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