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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: board · stock · craft · cap · bore · suit · cold · clip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bore — to drill
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — for paper
  12. board — a committee
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — to tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. stock — shares
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — to cut
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cap — of ice
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cold — the Cold War

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