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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: clip · band · charge · foot · chair · fall · racket · leaves

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — the season
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. charge — electricity
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. clip — to cut
  11. band — a music group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a ring
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — a video
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — in control
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. charge — a price

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