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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: pop · shower · lash · stock · calf · clip · leaves · last

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. last — final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — goods
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stock — shares
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. last — finally
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — soda

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