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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: arm · toast · clip · spring · last · kid · lean · bound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — tied together
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spring — a coil
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lean — thin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — child
  22. toast — bread
  23. last — to go on
  24. lean — to bend

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