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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: squash · bank · clip · trunk · stock · stem · nail · tube

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stock — goods
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — the underground
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — shares
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. tube — a container
  24. nail — for a hammer

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