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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — employees
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. calf — of the leg

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