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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: bear · lash · lie · bay · clip · cold · firm · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. firm — steady
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cold — an illness

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