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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · can · stand · wound · clip · track · mouse · fork

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. track — a song
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — of the year
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. track — a path
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able to

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