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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: lie · ground · game · hide · tube · bound · straw · clip

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — a video
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — a container
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — certain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. game — a match
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ground — a position
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — for paper

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