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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
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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: lean · club · rule · sharp · bore · fall · clip · dip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — a video
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rule — government
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rule — a law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — to cut
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. club — a group

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