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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: wake · bank · stock · swing · cap · safe · clip · cell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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 — a trail
  2. stock — shares
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stock — goods
  7. bank — of a river
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — a video
  16. swing — to play on
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cap — a lid
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cell — a phone
  21. swing — music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. safe — out of danger
  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