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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · mate · calf · stock · wound · wax · file · safe

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. file — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a line of people
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a document
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — an injury

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