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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: chip · wax · cue · pitch · calf · clip · leaves · object

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. pitch — completely
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cue — a signal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. object — a thing
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — an aim
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — for paper
  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