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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 116 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: last · stand · mine · straw · mate · hand · leaves · stock

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — help
  18. stock — shares
  19. hand — in cards
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — finally
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — to go on

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