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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.

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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: fork · row · arm · drill · patient · firm · fall · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. firm — steady
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — to paddle
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. firm — a company
  14. row — a line
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — army training
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. firm — decided
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fork — to eat with

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