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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: coach · pop · wind · straw · stock · wound · mug · lie

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stock — goods
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pop — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — soda
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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