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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · mug · bound · arm · stock · can · cell · wind

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cell — in biology
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — a video
  12. bound — obliged
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — shares
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. bound — certain
  21. stock — goods
  22. can — a tin
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wind — to turn a key

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