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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: arm · file · ruler · suit · net · wound · mine · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — goods
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — after costs
  11. suit — in cards
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. suit — to fit
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. suit — clothes
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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