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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: file · bound · board · pit · lie · clip · ball · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — certain
  4. lie — to recline
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pit — in a race
  9. file — a document
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. board — to get on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — obliged
  16. ball — a great time
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bank — for money
  24. board — a committee

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