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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: bank · wound · ground · track · stand · dip · bat · clip

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a song
  7. ground — the earth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — to bear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — a position
  15. track — a path
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bat — the animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to sink

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