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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: object · chair · spell · roll · tear · lean · calf · stock

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lean — thin
  8. object — to protest
  9. spell — letters
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. object — an aim
  15. roll — a cake
  16. object — a thing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — shares
  24. tear — to rip

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