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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: lie · ground · stem · net · leaves · lean · pound · clip

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ground — crushed
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — for catching
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — thin
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — to hit hard

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