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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: clip · rock · calf · pop · net · stock · fall · object

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. object — a thing
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pop — to visit
  16. clip — a video
  17. object — to protest
  18. rock — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  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