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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: can · vault · suit · wind · bore · date · clip · rest

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — a video
  3. date — the fruit
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rest — what's left
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. suit — clothes
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. suit — to fit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — a break
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — in cards
  24. can — a tin

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