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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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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: fall · wound · file · clip · roll · tear · calf · temple

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. clip — a video
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. file — a line of people
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wound — an injury

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