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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: calf · bore · wound · cold · court · stock · bulb · fan

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bore — to tire
  14. court — of law
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — goods
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. calf — of the leg

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