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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.

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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: cap · stand · safe · club · clip · pass · track · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for golf
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. club — a group
  6. clip — a video
  7. pass — a permit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. track — a song
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — a path
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — to spend time

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