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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: club · stock · rest · foot · clip · mark · straw · shower

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mark — a trace
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. club — for dancing
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rest — a break
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — a group
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. club — for golf
  19. mark — a grade
  20. shower — rain
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — shares

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