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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: lean · shower · patient · straw · stock · stand · track · clip

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — thin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — shares
  7. track — a song
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. clip — a video
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — to keep track
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — rain
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. track — a path
  23. stock — goods
  24. stand — to bear

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