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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: club · rash · clip · row · mug · calf · stand · stem

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — to rob
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — for paper
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a face
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mug — a cup
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stand — to bear
  20. clip — a video
  21. club — for golf
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stem — of a plant

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