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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: cap · stock · ball · branch · charge · clip · swing · vault

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a great time
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — in control
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — a safe
  10. swing — to play on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — a lid
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — music

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