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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 · pitcher · nail · cold · suit · stock · hand · lean

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — shares
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to bend
  19. hand — help
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lean — thin
  24. arm — a part of something

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