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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.

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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: lean · calf · stem · wax · lash · clip · kick · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. clip — a video
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — there

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