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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.

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: wake · court · spell · spring · stock · rock · mouse · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — a coil
  15. clip — a video
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rock — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. mouse — for a computer

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