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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: land · calf · object · net · stock · mark · straw · hide

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. object — to protest
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — for catching
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. stock — shares

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