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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.

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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: hide · track · clip · calf · dip · leaves · scale · rash

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — a series
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. track — a path
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — in music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — a video
  23. rash — hasty
  24. dip — to dunk

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