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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: clip · leaves · arm · tube · stand · vault · wax · fine

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — a safe
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wax — to grow
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — a container
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. fine — all right
  24. stand — for spectators

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