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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: lean · rush · clip · track · land · lie · scale · sharp

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — ground
  9. track — a path
  10. land — to come down
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. clip — a video
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lean — to bend
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — thin
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — a country
  22. lie — to recline
  23. track — a song
  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