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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · leaves · last · stock · coach · hand · deal · bulb

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — to breed
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — shares
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — to go on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — goods
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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