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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — for light
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chip — to eat
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bank — for money
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — in a computer

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