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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 · pitch · clip · branch · fan · bound · vault · rush

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stand — to bear
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. branch — a division
  13. clip — a video
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — obliged
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — to cut
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. branch — of a tree

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