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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: wind · dip · wound · stock · clip · staff · wave · rock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — to cut
  8. staff — employees
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stock — goods
  11. rock — music
  12. stock — shares
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — a video
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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