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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: ruler · stock · clip · rock · plane · wind · straw · bank

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — a video
  6. rock — a stone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bank — for money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — music
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stock — shares
  24. bank — of a river

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