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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: kid · leaves · wake · bank · bear · bat · clip · calf

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — to tease
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — for money
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kid — child
  24. bank — for money

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