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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: clip · sharp · rash · row · bank · stock · staff · court

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stock — goods
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bank — of a river
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rash — hasty
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — of a king
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — a video
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — a line
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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