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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
468
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: stock · swing · file · craft · rock · mine · squash · arm

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — shares
  5. swing — in golf
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. swing — music
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. file — a document
  21. rock — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — to play on

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