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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: date · stock · calf · pop · arm · stem · ball · wax

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — to visit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. pop — soda
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a dance
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stem — to come from
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — shares
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stock — a soup base

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