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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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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: mate · bank · rock · vault · kid · clip · trunk · bay

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. kid — to tease
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — child
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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