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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: stock · coach · lean · foot · pound · sharp · plane · bore

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lean — thin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — a weight
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lean — to bend
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pound — for dogs

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