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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 · straw · coach · court · wax · charge · clip · lean

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — of law
  7. charge — a price
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — for sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. lean — thin
  12. court — of a king
  13. vault — a safe
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. charge — in control
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. charge — electricity
  22. clip — a video
  23. straw — dry grass
  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