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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 116 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: racket · dip · track · stock · clip · wake · row · craft

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — a trail
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. clip — to cut
  10. track — a path
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — shares
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. clip — a video
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. row — to paddle
  20. dip — to sink
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stock — goods
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. row — a quarrel

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