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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. craft — boats
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — a hat
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — for paper
  19. content — happy
  20. craft — a skill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cap — of ice

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