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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
468
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: leaves · clip · mouse · spring · chair · track · fall · lie

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a leader
  5. clip — to cut
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. track — a song
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — the season
  21. clip — a video
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — the season
  24. lie — to recline

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