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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: chest · clip · net · leaves · suit · bear · wind · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. clip — to cut
  3. suit — in cards
  4. net — after costs
  5. clip — a video
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — in sport
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chest — a box
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bear — to put up with

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