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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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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cue — a signal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — a container
  24. nail — for a hammer

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