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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 116 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: wake · mine · perch · clip · lean · rush · cue · stock

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — thin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — a video
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — shares
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — for digging

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