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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 · clip · net · lean · suit · dip · bat · stem

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — thin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. clip — to cut
  6. net — in sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. suit — to fit
  21. vault — a safe
  22. dip — to sink
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — clothes

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