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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: clip · craft · file · calf · leaves · snap · fork · wake

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. craft — a skill
  6. file — a tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fork — in a road
  13. snap — to click
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a document
  24. craft — a handicraft

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