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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: dip · prune · stock · tube · clip · lie · field · staff

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. dip — to sink
  4. field — for sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — a video
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — a container
  13. clip — for paper
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — to trim
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stock — goods
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. field — farmland
  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