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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: band · coach · stock · hand · key · hide · craft · object

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — to protest
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — boats
  11. object — an aim
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. object — a thing
  15. key — in music
  16. band — a ring
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. key — the most important part
  22. craft — a skill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — a handicraft

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