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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: ground · clip · bass · perch · lean · net · bank · lie

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — thin
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — of a river
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — an untruth

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