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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 120 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: rash · rule · bear · clip · vault · band · plane · nail

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. clip — a video
  8. rule — government
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rash — hasty
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rule — a law
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rash — a series

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