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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: pound · lie · fork · lean · key · object · clip · hand

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — a video
  7. object — to protest
  8. fork — in a road
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. object — a thing
  13. lean — thin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — a weight
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. object — an aim
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lie — an untruth

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