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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.

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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 · club · file · staff · calf · bulb · clip · prune

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a line of people
  9. club — for golf
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. club — a group
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

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