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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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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: bay · snap · perch · tear · craft · wax · calf · clip

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tear — from crying
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — from crying
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to click
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — to rip
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — a skill

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