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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: row · clip · stand · stick · plane · bear · lie · rest

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. stand — to bear
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rest — a break
  15. row — a line
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — a tool
  23. clip — to cut
  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