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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
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: chair · calf · rush · face · wound · saw · stick · clip

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. calf — a young animal

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