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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: tube · patient · file · chair · tear · arm · wave · stock

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stock — shares
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — a container
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a line of people
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stock — goods
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a tool

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