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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.

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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: snap · bulb · tear · bat · row · shower · calf · stock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — to rip
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — goods
  23. snap — to click
  24. row — a quarrel

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