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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 · bound · straw · season · clip · drill · branch · pop

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. branch — a division
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. clip — a video
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — army training
  15. season — in sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bound — certain
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — to cut
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — to bear
  24. drill — the tool

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