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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 120 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: foot · band · cabinet · snap · stick · game · stock · calf

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. game — wild animals
  3. band — a music group
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. foot — a measure
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to click
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a match
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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