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

Word bank: calf · wound · prune · pitch · bowl · wax · chip · wind

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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