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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: stock · degree · can · calf · straw · patient · tube · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. degree — temperature
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — to be able to
  22. degree — an amount
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. can — a tin

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