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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 124 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: mug · season · dip · stock · ground · calf · snap · mine

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stock — goods
  22. mug — a face
  23. dip — to dunk
  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