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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: clip · saw · jam · present · stick · object · march · stand

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — a thing
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. object — an aim
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — a video
  17. present — the time now
  18. march — the month
  19. object — to protest
  20. march — the month
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. present — there
  23. march — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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