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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: stock · rush · mug · stem · clip · bore · fork · wound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a face
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bore — gave birth

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