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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: stand · stock · arm · swing · shower · row · mine · net

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. swing — in golf
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. swing — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. swing — to play on
  10. shower — rain
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — to bear
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mine — for digging
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — for catching
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a line
  21. stock — shares
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — after costs
  24. arm — a part of something

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