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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: chip · pop · court · wind · arm · wax · cap · wave

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chip — to eat
  9. court — of a king
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. court — of law
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wax — to grow
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. court — for sport

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