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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: plane · game · rush · clip · stock · march · wave · stick

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — the month

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