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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 116 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: coach · prune · staff · degree · kick · stock · can · straw

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kick — in football
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — a trainer

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