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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mug · mark · pop · straw · stock · bank · spring

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — for money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — the season
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — of a river
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — of water
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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