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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: stock · stem · coach · racket · bound · nail · tube · roll

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — obliged
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bound — tied together
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — certain
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — to come from

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