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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.

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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bound — certain
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bass — low music
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stand — on your feet

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