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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — certain
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chip — to eat

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