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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: leaves · suit · clip · perch · tear · vault · chair · spring

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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. spring — of water
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — a leader
  7. suit — clothes
  8. spring — a coil
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — a video
  12. suit — in cards
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. vault — a safe
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spring — the season

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