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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: court · pop · bore · stock · calf · wound · dip · stem

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — for sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pop — soda
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bore — to drill
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. calf — a young animal

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