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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 · bear · spell · bank · craft · wake · rash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bear — the animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — letters
  14. stock — goods
  15. craft — boats
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — magic
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stock — a soup base

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