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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 · branch · mug · clip · pit · club · bound · wake

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. club — for golf
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bound — obliged
  15. branch — a division
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mug — a face
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bound — certain
  24. stand — for spectators

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