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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.

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 · pitcher · fan · plane · trunk · wound · stock · arm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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