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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 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pop — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — for catching
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — to eat
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — help
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. craft — boats
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bank — for money
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. craft — a skill

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