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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: wake · calf · foot · pound · chest · ball · club · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pound — a weight
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — a trail
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — to hit hard

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