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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: vault · last · sharp · land · saw · bear · can · swing

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — finally
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. swing — in golf
  16. vault — a safe
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. land — a country
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — final

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