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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: club · staff · hand · stock · coach · craft · kid · can

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — shares
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — goods
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — child
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — help
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kid — to tease
  23. club — a group
  24. can — a tin

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