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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — a video
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rest — a break
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rash — on the skin

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