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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 116 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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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: wax · bay · nail · object · clip · calf · stick · wind

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — an aim
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. object — to protest
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  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