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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: net · clip · stem · rash · squash · stand · kid · calf

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — for catching
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. squash — the sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rash — hasty
  12. clip — to cut
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rash — a series
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — after costs
  20. kid — child
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stem — to come from
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. net — in sport

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