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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: spell · straw · hide · stock · mate · pitcher · cue · tube

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — a container
  15. cue — a hint
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a signal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — to breed

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