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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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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: branch · ground · clip · lie · saw · can · bound · fall

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — a position
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — certain
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fall — the season
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — to cut
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. can — to be able to
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — a tin

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