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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: face · lie · bound · last · spell · suit · clip · fall

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — final
  3. spell — letters
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. last — finally
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — the season
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. suit — clothes
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — to go on
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — to fit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. face — part of the head

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