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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: bulb · wake · stock · wave · clip · ground · kick · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — a position
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — in football
  13. stock — shares
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — the earth
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — for paper
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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