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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: clip · tear · vault · bass · rash · pass · drill · hide

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. clip — a video
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — low music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — army training
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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