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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: stand · bat · wave · firm · saw · clip · trunk · mark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stand — to bear
  8. firm — decided
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mark — a trace
  14. firm — steady
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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