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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: band · wave · stock · date · net · straw · staff · stand

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. net — for catching
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — shares
  5. band — a music group
  6. stock — goods
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. net — in sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. band — a ring
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. staff — a stick
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — employees
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — after costs
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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