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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 · can · cabinet · kid · bear · stock · field · net

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — for catching
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — a subject
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — child
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. field — for sport

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