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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: date · lie · spring · bowl · fine · wake · clip · wind

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fine — all right
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — a penalty

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