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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: wax · coach · kick · mine · stock · toast · bound · branch

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — shares
  3. kick — in football
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bound — certain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bound — tied together
  24. toast — bread

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