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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
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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: clip · cap · tube · wind · stem · cabinet · mark · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stock — goods
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — for paper

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