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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: stand · clip · saw · stick · lie · row · can · tear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. row — a line
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. can — a tin
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — a video
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — from crying

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