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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: clip · kid · season · date · roll · vault · band · bound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. band — a ring
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — of the year
  7. roll — a list
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. clip — a video
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kid — child
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a music group

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