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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · tube · chest · staff · spring · bay · stock · wound

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chest — a box
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — employees
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — shares
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — in a tire

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