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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · net · stock · clip · stick · bark · saw · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to confront
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. face — part of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — in sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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