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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 · staff · clip · cold · board · bank · bay · toast

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. staff — employees
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bank — for money
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. staff — employees
  7. toast — bread
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stock — goods
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cold — not warm
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — shares
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bank — of a river
  24. clip — a video

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