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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stem · march · mouse · stock · cabinet · pitcher · mark

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — goods
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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