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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — for paper
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — a video
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — an injury

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