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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: mark · date · bound · stand · mine · lie · clip · spell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — to recline
  3. clip — for paper
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bound — certain
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. clip — a video
  24. date — on the calendar

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