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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: cabinet · wave · field · rest · content · safe · clip · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. clip — for paper
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — a break
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — what's left
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — a subject
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rest — what's left

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