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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 · kick · stock · season · staff · rush · mine · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. season — of the year
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. staff — a stick
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — hurry
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — goods
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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