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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
468
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 · straw · mug · present · can · bass · object · tube

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stock — goods
  6. present — the time now
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. object — to protest
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. object — a thing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — to rob

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