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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: bass · firm · land · clip · object · vault · can · pop

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. can — to be able to
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — to cut
  5. object — to protest
  6. pop — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. vault — a safe
  9. firm — decided
  10. pop — soda
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — an aim
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — a country
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — a thing
  24. firm — a company

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