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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: clip · date · deal · fine · staff · ball · lean · calf

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. lean — thin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — to handle

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