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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: band · stock · fall · foot · lash · clip · current · coach

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. current — electric
  3. stock — goods
  4. foot — a measure
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a ring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fall — the season
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. current — happening now
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. clip — a video

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