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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 116 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: rule · calf · bass · hand · bowl · rock · clip · trunk

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. clip — a video
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rule — a law

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