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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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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cue — for pool
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a music group
  9. clip — a video
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cue — a hint
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rush — hurry

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