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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 116 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: clip · present · vault · wave · pitch · mug · staff · saw

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — there
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pitch — completely
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mug — a face
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. staff — employees
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — a gift

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