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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: scale · bank · capital · stock · lean · straw · racket · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stock — shares
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. scale — size or range
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lean — thin
  14. bank — for money
  15. capital — a city
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — money
  18. scale — in music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. staff — employees
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bank — for money

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