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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 120 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: spring · track · bear · leaves · foot · wake · stock · clip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. clip — to cut
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a path
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — shares
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — to keep track
  20. clip — a video
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spring — of water
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bear — to put up with

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