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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — to confront
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cue — a hint
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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