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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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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: vault · wound · cabinet · clip · wake · present · pop · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pop — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — there
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — a video
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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