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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.

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: bass · calf · rock · kid · mate · clip · tube · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — child
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bass — low music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. staff — employees
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mate — to breed

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