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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: spell · squash · wind · stick · rest · saw · stock · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — a break
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — magic
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spell — letters
  24. rest — what's left

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