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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 120 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: pit · rock · mate · wax · stock · clip · mark · straw

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. stock — goods
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — to breed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  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