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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: last · club · firm · squash · root · wound · calf · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. last — final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — goods
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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