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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
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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: charge · clip · bear · stock · cold · bay · ground · trunk

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — a position
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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