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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 120 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: snap · wind · clip · press · bay · stand · vault · stock

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — goods
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. vault — a safe
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stock — shares
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wind — moving air
  24. clip — for paper

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