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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: lean · sharp · lie · field · temple · rest · bear · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. field — farmland
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bear — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

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