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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: stand · file · clip · stock · stem · calf · kick · chair

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stand — to bear
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. file — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. clip — a video
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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