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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · fan · clip · tear · temple · land · saw · ball

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ball — a great time
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — a country
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — a video

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