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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: stock · ball · tube · rule · tear · straw · coach · can

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rule — government
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — shares
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tube — a container
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — to rip

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