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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: club · stock · suit · clip · board · wind · calf · firm

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — to cut
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. suit — in cards
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. firm — a company
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — a group
  15. board — a committee
  16. club — for golf
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. suit — to fit
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. clip — a video
  24. calf — of the leg

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