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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.

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: bark · vault · clip · rock · land · racket · season · craft

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. land — ground
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. land — a country
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rock — music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. craft — boats
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — 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