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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: nail · clip · track · bat · stock · content · bank · fan

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — the amount
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — shares
  17. clip — a video
  18. track — a song
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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