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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 · stock · prune · hand · ruler · foot

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — part of the body

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