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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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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: nail · rule · current · bay · chip · stock · clip · branch

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — goods
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — happening now
  9. clip — a video
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stock — shares
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — in a computer

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