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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: squash · bass · plane · stock · bore · stick · clip · can

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — to tire
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stock — shares
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — low music
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. can — a tin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. plane — in geometry

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