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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: fan · foot · swing · calf · bark · clip · can · bore

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — to shout
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. can — a tin

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