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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · bark · vault · file · season · clip · craft · bear

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. season — in sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — to rob
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — boats
  14. bark — to shout
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. craft — a skill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — a face
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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