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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. staff — employees
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — to shout

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