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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: stem · content · kick · patient · track · calf · cabinet · clip

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a path
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — happy
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — in football
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. track — a song
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — to keep track
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — the amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — to come from

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