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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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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: stem · kick · row · clip · stock · suit · drill · mug

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — a line
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. suit — in cards
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — shares
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. clip — for paper
  14. suit — clothes
  15. clip — a video
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stock — goods
  22. kick — in football
  23. suit — to fit
  24. row — to paddle

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