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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: kid · band · calf · bulb · cell · spring · rush · stock

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — of water
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stock — goods
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cell — a phone

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