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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · stock · calf · mine · lash · can · current · wind

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — to be able to
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — happening now
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — goods
  20. current — electric
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — not warm

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