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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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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: current · firm · wax · clip · file · calf · racket · fine

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. current — of water
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. firm — a company
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a document
  17. current — electric
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fine — all right
  22. current — happening now
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a line of people

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