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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: net · arm · rush · cabinet · season · saw · stock · stand

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. season — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — shares
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stand — for spectators

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