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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 · stock · wave · tube · wound · coach · bore · bat

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — gave birth

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