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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: fall · clip · fan · vault · nail · present · ruler · lash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. present — a gift
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fall — the season
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — a video
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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