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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: stock · hide · pound · wake · ruler · pit · pop · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pop — to visit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stock — goods
  8. pop — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pop — soda
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pit — in a race

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