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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.

Words on the sheet
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: season · mouse · calf · stock · foot · wave · tear · clip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. clip — to cut
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. clip — a video
  9. stock — shares
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — from crying

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