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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 · clip · rash · snap · spell · nail · rock · fine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — a video
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — goods
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rash — a series
  23. snap — to click
  24. fine — high quality

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