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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: mark · clip · game · band · leaves · mouse · track · stand

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — to bear
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a music group
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mark — a trace
  17. band — a ring
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a song
  24. game — a match

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