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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: calf · foot · bulb · stock · pitcher · shower · bat · stem

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. shower — rain
  13. stock — shares
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. shower — to wash

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