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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: stick · bass · lie · wound · fan · staff · clip · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bass — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — employees
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stock — goods
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bass — low music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stock — shares

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