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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: stand · saw · season · wind · stock · cap · staff · kid

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cap — a lid
  3. season — of the year
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — child
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stock — goods
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — in sport

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