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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: scale · clip · charge · vault · bark · tear · cold · lie

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bark — to shout
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — in control
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — a price
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cold — an illness
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — to recline
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. scale — in music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cold — not warm

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