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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: pound · snap · trunk · clip · charge · bass · lie · cap

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the fish
  23. charge — in control
  24. cap — a lid

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