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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. drill — army training
  5. clip — for paper
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. drill — a practice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. present — there
  11. object — an aim
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — the tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. clip — a video
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. plane — a tool
  22. object — to protest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — a thing

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