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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 120 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: stock · clip · spring · fine · shower · can · firm · arm

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — rain
  5. spring — of water
  6. fine — high quality
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — a company
  11. can — to be able to
  12. firm — steady
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fine — all right
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — goods
  21. firm — decided
  22. spring — a coil
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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