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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: stock · bowl · tube · bay · pop · nail · calf · hand

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pop — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pop — to visit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. hand — help
  17. tube — a container
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pop — soda
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hand — part of the body

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