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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: stock · arm · file · fall · clip · dip · sharp · stand

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — the season
  18. clip — a video
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — goods
  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