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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. season — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. firm — a company
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. firm — decided
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. clip — for paper
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — a division
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. season — of the year
  24. vault — a safe

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