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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
468
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: cell · stock · plane · stand · wound · safe · march · clip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — a phone
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — a video
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in biology
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stand — to bear
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — for paper

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