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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: clip · race · arm · chip · trunk · can · lean · wave

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. race — the arms race
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. lean — thin
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — humankind
  24. arm — part of the body

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