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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: coach · craft · hand · stock · current · arm

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — electric
  7. stock — shares
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — boats
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. current — of water
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — happening now

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