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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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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 · cold · bay · prune · hide · stock · stick · stand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. band — a ring
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a music group

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