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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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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: saw · calf · clip · leaves · row · pitcher · fan · bear

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. row — to paddle
  6. clip — for paper
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. clip — a video
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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