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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: clip · root · arm · calf · mate · wound · cap · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — for paper
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. root — of a plant
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — a video
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — of ice
  24. calf — a young animal

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