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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 116 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 · tube · spell · capital · bay · stock · coach · lean

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — shares
  11. net — in sport
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a city
  15. spell — letters
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — goods
  18. net — after costs
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — thin
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — a horse colour

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