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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: cue · clip · can · row · fan · stock · game · bank

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stock — shares
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a line
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bank — for money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — goods
  24. bank — for money

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