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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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