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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · spell · clip · stick · perch · calf · fan · can

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — letters
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. spell — magic
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — a tin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — a short time
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — to cut
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — an explosive

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