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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: snap · wake · ball · clip · branch · stock · leaves · stand

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ball — a dance
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — to cut
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. snap — to click
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — shares
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — a video
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stand — to bear
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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