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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: wake · stand · kick · root · clip · sharp · calf · cap

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. clip — for paper
  5. kick — in football
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cap — a lid
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — to cut
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. root — the cause

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