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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 120 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: calf · mate · shower · arm · tube · lie · ball · clip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — to recline
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. clip — to cut
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — a video
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — to breed
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tube — the underground

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