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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — of a king
  10. chip — to eat
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — a break
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. court — for sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — a quarrel

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