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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — a video
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. content — happy
  15. hand — help
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bank — for money
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. content — the amount
  22. bank — of a river
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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