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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: stand · wake · kid · clip · stem · track · bank · content

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — a video
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. clip — to cut
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — the amount
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. track — a path
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wake — a trail
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — on your feet

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