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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: stick · fork · stock · clip · tear · fan · row · charge

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — to paddle
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — a price
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. charge — in control
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. clip — a video
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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