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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.

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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: stem · net · track · content · wake · rush · stock · clip

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — in sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. stock — goods
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stock — shares
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. content — the amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — hurry
  15. clip — for paper
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — videos and posts

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