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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: clip · stem · bear · cabinet · calf · mine · can · track

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — a video
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. can — a tin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mine — belonging to me

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