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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 116 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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468
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: kick · calf · kid · stock · stem · plane · face · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stem — to come from
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — child
  5. face — to point toward
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — shares
  8. game — wild animals
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stem — of a plant

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