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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kid — child
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chip — to eat
  9. kick — in football
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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