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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · stock · firm · field · kick · bulb · calf · cold

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — decided
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cold — not warm
  12. field — farmland
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — for sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. firm — a company
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — in football
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — a subject

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