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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bay · straw · coach · band · kick · staff · file

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a document
  21. band — a music group
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a line of people

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