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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 · clip · arm · field · rock · present · rush · tube

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — shares
  3. rock — a stone
  4. field — a subject
  5. clip — a video
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — hurry
  11. present — the time now
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — goods
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — the underground

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