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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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