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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 120 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: stick · spring · tube · stock · clip · object · track · face

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — part of the head
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a path
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — an aim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — a thing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stock — goods
  19. track — a song
  20. object — to protest
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — a coil

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