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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: stock · wax · bank · board · clip · pit · ground · snap

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stock — shares
  3. snap — to click
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. board — to get on
  7. ground — a position
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — crushed
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — the earth
  20. board — a committee
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bank — for money
  24. board — a flat piece

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