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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bound — obliged
  17. clip — a video
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. clip — for paper

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