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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: stock · calf · ground · clip · bulb · wind · leaves · rash

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — a series
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — shares
  8. clip — a video
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — for light

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