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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
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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: stick · arm · plane · land · stock · wind · file · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a document
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — to come down
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — a tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — a country
  24. plane — an aircraft

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