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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: tube · foot · wound · hand · lie · fan · clip · bound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tube — a container
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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