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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: stand · coach · stock · hand · toast · trunk · jam · wind

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — to bear
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hand — part of the body

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