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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: calf · pitcher · clip · hand · cell · cabinet · leaves · stock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — a video
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — a soup base
  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