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

Word bank: row · kick · coach · clip · stock · spell · bark · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. clip — for paper
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — letters
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — the tool
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spell — magic
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. row — to paddle
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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