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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: clip · ground · stand · rule · can · bulb · squash · cell

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rule — a law
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. can — a tin
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — crushed

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