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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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Word bank
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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: pit · clip · shower · bank · mate · mug · stand · march

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — a partner
  4. clip — for paper
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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