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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
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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: calf · clip · wound · hand · staff · wax · safe · spring

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — help
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spring — of water
  6. staff — a stick
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — in cards
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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