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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stock — goods
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cap — of ice

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