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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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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: field · toast · stock · straw · tear · mouse · kick · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stock — goods
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. field — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — a subject
  19. kick — in football
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — shares
  24. toast — bread

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