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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 · straw · jam · can · nail · stock · firm · field

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. firm — steady
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — for sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. fall — the season
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. firm — a company
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — farmland
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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