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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: plane · saw · dip · tear · ground · vault · clip · calf

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. vault — a safe
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — to rip
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ground — crushed
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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