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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. face — to confront
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. board — to get on
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — a committee
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — to handle
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. calf — a young animal

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