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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — to cut
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a document
  12. bank — of a river
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a tool
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a line of people

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