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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. present — a gift
  3. clip — a video
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — tied together
  9. clip — for paper
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. present — there
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wave — of the sea

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