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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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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: cap · sharp · land · straw · chip · mug · rush · wax

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rush — hurry
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. cap — a hat
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. sharp — clever
  20. land — ground
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rush — a thrill

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