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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: calf · arm · mate · clip · hide · stem · drill · kid

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — child
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stem — to come from

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