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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: file · stem · wind · degree · stock · mouse · sharp · calf

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. file — a document
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — to come from
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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