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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: clip · bark · mate · cabinet · lie · plane · capital · safe

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. capital — money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a city
  24. plane — in geometry

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