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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: kid · leaves · arm · prune · clip · fan · stock · hide

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — shares
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — child
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — to trim
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. clip — to cut
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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