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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bound — certain
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tube — the underground
  23. clip — a video
  24. bound — tied together

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