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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 120 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: mouse · wind · rush · arm · mark · scale · stock · last

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mark — a grade
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — in music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — final
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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