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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: fall · calf · rash · stock · date · squash · root · clip

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — the fruit
  13. root — the cause
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — shares
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — a video

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