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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 · mug · last · land · clip · craft · cell · chip

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mug — a cup
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — a video
  13. last — final
  14. land — a country
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — finally
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — for betting
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. craft — a skill

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