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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 120 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: bear · bark · stock · nail · bore · staff · spell · clip

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bore — to drill
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — magic
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — letters
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bear — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stock — shares
  23. spell — a short time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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