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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: leaves · rock · rash · cold · staff · straw · stock · plane

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — a tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stock — shares
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rock — a stone
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — music
  24. staff — employees

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