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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: tube · clip · wake · rest · bass · rule · fork · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rest — a break
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. clip — to cut
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — a video
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rule — a law
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rule — government
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — to eat with

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