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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: lean · pitcher · mark · stock · spell · club · band · clip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a music group
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mark — a trace
  14. club — for golf
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. spell — magic

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