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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: fork · ball · stock · mouse · wound · pop · clip · nail

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stock — goods
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fork — in a road

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