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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
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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: march · leaves · ball · stand · cabinet · clip · calf · date

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — the fruit
  5. clip — a video
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — to bear
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. clip — for paper
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — of a tree

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