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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · calf · present · tear · clip · vault

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. present — the time now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — to cut
  13. present — there
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. present — a gift
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wax — to grow

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