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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: bore · coach · band · deal · chip · straw · stock · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — to tire
  7. deal — to handle
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chip — to eat
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. roll — a cake
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stock — shares
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stock — goods
  24. chip — for betting

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