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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 116 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: ruler · face · branch · mate · staff · clip · vault · court

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — part of the head
  3. clip — a video
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of a king
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. clip — for paper
  13. vault — a safe
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. face — to point toward
  18. branch — a division
  19. face — to confront
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — a stick

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