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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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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: squash · coach · drill · wax · ball · present · clip · chip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chip — to eat
  9. present — the time now
  10. chip — for betting
  11. drill — army training
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — the tool
  15. present — a gift
  16. ball — a dance
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. present — there
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — a video
  23. drill — a practice
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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