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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · current · fall · stand · chest · fan · key · clip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — for a lock
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chest — a box
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — of water
  10. clip — a video
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. current — electric
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — the season
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. current — happening now

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