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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: date · squash · wound · rush · row · ruler · stock · clip

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — shares
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. row — a line
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stock — goods
  24. squash — the sport

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