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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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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 · wave · pound · wake · chair · fork · mark

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. clip — a video
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stock — goods
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wave — of the sea

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