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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 124 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: tear · clip · last · vault · fan · bay · degree · staff

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tear — to rip
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. clip — a video
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — finally
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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