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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: club · mate · nail · present · fine · clip · wound · stock

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — there
  7. mate — to breed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — for golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. club — for dancing
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. club — a group
  15. fine — high quality
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — a video
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — all right

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