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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: staff · rest · clip · craft · stand · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rest — a break
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — to bear
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — for spectators

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