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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
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: mark · stock · present · deal · clip · temple · drill · lean

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — a practice
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — the time now
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — there
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — army training
  11. present — a gift
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. clip — a video
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. clip — for paper

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