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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: clip · pound · kid · firm · leaves · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. clip — a video
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. kid — child
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — to tease

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