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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 · track · pitcher · saw · ruler · wave · season · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. track — a song
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. season — of the year
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. track — a path

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