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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: clip · lie · bear · bound · stand · net · bark · lean

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — a video
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. net — for catching
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. net — after costs
  19. bound — certain
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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