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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: track · clip · rash · spring · sharp · bound · season · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. track — a path
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. clip — a video
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. track — a song
  19. season — of the year
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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