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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: stem · mine · bass · chip · vault · perch · field · clip

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — low music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — to cut
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — farmland
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. field — for sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — a video
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chip — for betting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bass — the fish

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