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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 116 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
468
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: wound · clip · ball · fine · spring · tube · saw · stock

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — shares
  4. spring — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — goods
  16. spring — of water
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fine — high quality
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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