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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: net · clip · stick · staff · leaves · track · wind · face

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — to keep track
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. track — a song
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. track — a path
  20. staff — a stick
  21. clip — for paper
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to confront

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