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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · stock · tear · calf · staff · rule · clip · scale

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rule — a law
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — government
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. calf — of the leg

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