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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a ring
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — in cards
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a music group

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