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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · saw · lie · bear · bass · sharp · vault · clip

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. land — to come down
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. land — ground
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. sharp — clever
  22. vault — a safe
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — the tool

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