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

Word bank: lie · rule · wax · clip · wind · pound · mark · cell

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wind — to turn a key

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