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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: hand · fall · lie · firm · perch · bulb · temple · clip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. lie — to recline
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. firm — a company

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