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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 116 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: hand · stock · pit · kid · lean · wave · current · file

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lean — to bend
  8. file — a document
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pit — in a race
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lean — thin
  24. pit — a hole

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