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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · clip · hand · spring · bore · row · march · pit

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — of water
  13. march — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hand — in cards
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — a coil

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