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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 116 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: stand · squash · ball · capital · firm · clip · tear · trunk

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. firm — decided
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stand — to bear
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — for paper
  23. firm — steady
  24. capital — a city

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