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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: calf · clip · leaves · pitch · face · stem · chair · mark

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — to confront
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — a video
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. clip — to cut
  24. leaves — lets stay

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