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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 120 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. club — a group
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — of water
  12. kick — in football
  13. spring — a coil
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. current — happening now
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. current — electric
  24. snap — to click

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