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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 120 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: stick · fall · present · pitcher · clip · bulb · band · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a ring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. present — the time now
  15. band — a music group
  16. clip — a video
  17. present — there
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — to cut

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