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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · wake · face · tube · stock · stick · row · leaves

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to point toward
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. face — to confront
  17. row — a line
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — a video
  22. tube — a container
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stock — shares

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