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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: race · saw · stand · band · mug · toast · clip · ground

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — the earth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ground — a position
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — to cut
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. stand — to bear
  24. toast — bread

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