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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.

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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: scale · staff · straw · dip · coach · land · stock · bear

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. stock — goods
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — ground
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — size or range
  24. coach — a trainer

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