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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: stock · hide · bound · wake · craft · press · row · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wake — a trail
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — goods
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. craft — boats
  11. clip — a video
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — to paddle
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wake — before a funeral

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