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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: wave · can · chair · kid · clip · trunk · rush · drill

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kid — child
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. drill — the tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — army training
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a car
  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