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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
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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 · row · last · pound · trunk · clip · tube · lie

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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 — for dogs
  2. clip — for paper
  3. last — finally
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. clip — a video
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a line
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ground — the earth
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — a position
  23. tube — a container
  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