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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: mine · stand · safe · clip · mark · rash · fan · club

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — for dancing
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stand — to bear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. clip — for paper
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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