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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: lie · object · pitcher · calf · cap · last · branch · clip

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — a video
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a lid
  10. object — an aim
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — to protest
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — a thing

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