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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. spring — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — crushed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ground — the earth
  10. land — a country
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — ground
  15. spring — of water
  16. ground — a position
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a line
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — to paddle
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — for paper
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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