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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · ball · bass · fine · march · patient · wax

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. clip — a video
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fine — all right
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. march — music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — low music
  13. march — the month
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  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