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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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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: racket · stem · band · clip · calf · cell · firm · wound

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — to cut
  6. band — a ring
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stem — to come from
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. firm — decided
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. clip — a video
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — a phone
  24. racket — for tennis

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