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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: wave · file · cue · kick · calf · degree · clip · leaves

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. degree — temperature
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cue — a signal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. file — a document
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — of a tree

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