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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 · spell · fall · mug · land · shower · roll · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a cake
  3. shower — rain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mug — a cup
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — shares
  15. fall — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spell — magic
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. roll — a list
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — a country
  24. mug — a face

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