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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: pop · wound · saw · staff · chip · hand · lean · stock

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — thin
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. pop — soda
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — help
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

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