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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 120 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: last · chair · stock · mouse · fall · band · stand · clip

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. last — finally
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. stock — goods
  13. last — final
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fall — to drop
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. band — a music group
  23. clip — for paper
  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