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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
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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: track · coach · straw · race · wax · hide · stock · bark

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — to keep track
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. track — a song
  16. race — humankind
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — a contest
  20. bark — to shout
  21. track — a path
  22. stock — goods
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — a trainer

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