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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 120 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: bear · stock · calf · capital · wound · key · coach · board

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — money
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. coach — a trainer
  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