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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: straw · can · wound · leaves · cap · club · stock · pitcher

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. club — a group
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. club — for golf
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — goods
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stock — shares
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wound — an injury

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