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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 116 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: tear · mouse · clip · bass · lie · press · stick · bound

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. clip — a video
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bass — low music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lie — to recline
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mouse — the animal

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