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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: jam · pound · trunk · stock · clip · calf · present · last

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pound — a weight
  9. last — finally
  10. present — the time now
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. present — a gift
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stock — shares
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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