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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: pass · field · vault · chair · bank · clip · kid · leaves

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. field — a subject
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — child
  14. field — farmland
  15. pass — a permit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chair — a leader

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