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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: bound · bear · cue · stock · clip · plane · squash · cold

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cue — a signal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — an illness
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — a soup base

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