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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · stock · present · coach · mine · stand · leaves · can

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — shares
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stand — to bear
  10. present — a gift
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. present — the time now
  17. stock — goods
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — there
  21. can — a tin
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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