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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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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: stick · rest · clip · fall · band · content · bat · stand

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. content — the amount
  6. stand — to bear
  7. content — happy
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — a break
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — a video
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — the animal

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