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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · file · dip · chest · drill · spell · wax · clip

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — army training
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spell — magic
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. clip — a video
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a document
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — to sink
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wax — in the ear

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