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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · lie · clip · spring · racket · track · game · wave

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — the season
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — to recline
  14. track — a path
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spring — a coil
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — a match
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — for tennis

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