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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: tear · nail · bear · clip · season · sharp · ball · saw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. clip — to cut
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — a video
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — in sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. season — of the year
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a round shape

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