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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: clip · wound · jam · stock · roll · charge · rush · track

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rush — hurry
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. clip — for paper
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. track — a path
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. clip — a video
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — shares
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. charge — in control
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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