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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: stock · last · bear · lean · bore · wave · hand · clip

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. hand — in cards
  4. last — final
  5. stock — goods
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. lean — thin
  15. clip — a video
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. last — to go on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hand — part of the body

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