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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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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: squash · stock · stick · wave · content · file · calf · lash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stock — shares
  6. file — a tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. file — a document
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stock — goods
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the sport

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