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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stem — to come from
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bound — certain
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — obliged
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — a video

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