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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: bear · hide · pass · clip · race · bound · stand · rash

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. clip — for paper
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — a series
  15. clip — a video
  16. bound — certain
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — on the skin

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