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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 · saw · bound · object · clip · ball · bat · temple

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bound — obliged
  11. clip — to cut
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lean — thin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — an aim
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — a video

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