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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: racket · vault · clip · season · wake · squash · tear · mug

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — a face
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. clip — a video
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — the sport
  24. vault — a safe

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