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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: can · stand · clip · suit · hand · wound · bat · bore

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. suit — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — to fit
  24. clip — a video

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