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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: trunk · lie · bear · clip · wound · scale · pop · press

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — soda
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. press — to push
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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