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

Word bank: calf · wind · cue · net · band · stock · stem · cell

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — goods
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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