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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 120 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: capital · root · pitcher · stick · stock · bay · band · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — shares
  6. root — of a plant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. root — of a word
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. capital — money
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. capital — a city
  24. root — the cause

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