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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: cell · hand · craft · pitcher · row · stock · roll · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a list
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a skill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stock — goods
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hand — help
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — boats
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. row — to paddle

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