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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · bass · leaves · field · ruler · stock · hide · straw

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. clip — a video
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — a subject
  17. bass — low music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. straw — a straw man

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