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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · mouse · craft · pitcher · stock · clip · arm · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — goods
  9. craft — boats
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stock — shares
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mouse — the animal

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