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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: date · stand · leaves · bank · content · pitcher · race · clip

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bank — for money
  3. race — humankind
  4. content — happy
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — the amount
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stand — to bear
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bank — of a river
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — of a tree

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