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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: trunk · stock · patient · wound · clip · pop · track · cap

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — to cut
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. track — a song
  8. pop — soda
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — goods
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stock — shares
  18. cap — a hat
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — to keep track
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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