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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: can · wake · lie · date · arm · chest · clip · spring

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. clip — a video
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chest — of your body

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