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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: pit · rule · vault · branch · net · spell · clip · dip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spell — letters
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — after costs
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. vault — a safe
  14. branch — a division
  15. spell — magic
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — to cut

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