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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: ground · stock · tube · fan · mate · arm · fall · pound

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — shares
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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