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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: bear · pitcher · calf · hide · fall · bound · sharp · clip

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — certain
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hide — to keep secret

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