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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 · chair · present · net · clip · fall · stock · patient

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. present — there
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — goods
  7. clip — to cut
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fall — the season
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — a video
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — to drop

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