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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: tube · calf · ground · hide · safe · stock · firm · clip

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — for paper
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — a position
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — goods
  21. firm — steady
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ground — the earth

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