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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · calf · sharp · row · swing · stock · nail · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. sharp — clever
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — to play on
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — in golf
  23. calf — a young animal
  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