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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 120 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: nail · fine · straw · leaves · content · staff · stock · saw

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. fine — high quality
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — goods
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stock — shares
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. content — happy
  24. staff — a stick

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