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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: wave · kid · roll · stock · mate · clip · calf · ball

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. kid — child
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stock — shares

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