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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: shower · clip · leaves · cold · vault · wound · safe · ruler

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cold — an illness
  13. clip — to cut
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — a video
  19. shower — rain
  20. cold — not warm
  21. shower — to wash
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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