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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 116 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 · rash · stock · lie · wind · firm · tube · court

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — a series
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — a company
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — to recline
  12. firm — steady
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — goods

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