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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: mug · board · bulb · field · stand · staff · clip · wound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — farmland
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stand — to bear
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — a subject
  18. board — to get on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. staff — employees
  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