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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — a stem cell

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