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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 116 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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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 · fork · clip · bore · bay · wound · rule · stand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rule — a law
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rule — government
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — a video
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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