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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — to recline
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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