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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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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: wake · clip · lean · arm · calf · cap · object · branch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. branch — a division
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. clip — a video
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lean — thin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. object — an aim
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. arm — part of the body

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