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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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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: safe · firm · staff · stand · wind · deal · press · clip

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stand — to bear
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — to push
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. firm — steady
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. press — newspapers
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — a video
  24. deal — to handle

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