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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 120 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: bass · cell · fork · ground · vault · clip · row · track

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fork — in a road
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bass — the fish
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. track — a song
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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