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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: field · rush · straw · squash · calf · stock · pit · band

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stock — shares
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. field — a subject
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. field — farmland
  24. band — a music group

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