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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · staff · lean · field · club · toast · calf · clip

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. clip — a video
  3. club — for dancing
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to bend
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. toast — bread
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. lean — thin
  17. staff — a stick
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — a group
  20. fine — all right
  21. field — a subject
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. clip — for paper

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