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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: hide · lean · rush · sharp · fork · vault · clip · season

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — to hurry

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