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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: suit · drill · clip · wound · bark · pitcher · mug · stock

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. suit — to fit
  13. drill — army training
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stock — goods
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stock — shares
  24. clip — to cut

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