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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: clip · nail · shower · calf · patient · craft · straw · wax

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wax — to grow
  17. shower — to wash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. clip — for paper
  24. patient — a sick person

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