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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: staff · spell · chair · chest · dip · stand · tube · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — a container
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — shares
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. tube — the underground
  11. staff — employees
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chest — a box
  14. spell — magic
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stand — to bear
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stock — a soup base

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