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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: can · march · coach · lie · stock · craft · staff · rest

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — to be able to
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — to recline
  23. march — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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