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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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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: safe · clip · pitcher · present · lie · bank · wind · pound

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — a weight
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — there
  12. clip — a video
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. present — the time now
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bank — of a river
  24. safe — out of danger

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