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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. kick — in football
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stem — a stem cell

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