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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: fine · sharp · tube · stand · clip · lie · bat · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — a container
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — a video
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. clip — to cut

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