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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.

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: wake · bay · coach · clip · stock · straw · band · key

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. clip — for paper
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. clip — a video
  14. key — in music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — the most important part
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — a horse colour

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