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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 116 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: sharp · clip · object · firm · wound · stand · ball · bank

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bank — for money
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. object — to protest
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — decided
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stand — to bear
  15. ball — a great time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. firm — a company
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bank — of a river
  22. object — an aim
  23. clip — for paper
  24. object — a thing

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