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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: fall · suit · arm · stock · hand · tube · drill · fine

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — all right
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. suit — clothes
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. tube — a container
  24. suit — to fit

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