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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: bay · staff · coach · mark · leaves · stock · cap · spring

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stock — shares
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. staff — employees
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — goods
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — a trainer

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