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

Word bank: clip · stick · pound · stand · bowl · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — a video
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — to go on
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bowl — to roll

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