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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.

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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 · pitch · deal · fork · stem · band · calf · cabinet

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — completely
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — a video
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fork — in a road

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