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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 · stock · saw · snap · cell · bore · land · calf

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bore — to drill
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stock — goods
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. saw — the tool
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. land — a country
  14. cell — a phone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to tire
  18. land — ground
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — to come down

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