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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: bound · wound · straw · stock · leaves · cap · mate · coach

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cap — a lid
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — tied together
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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