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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: tear · fine · rock · stock · plane · clip · pop · snap

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. rock — music
  18. pop — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — to rip

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