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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: bore · calf · mug · chip · stand · wax · temple · clip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mug — a face
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. clip — to cut
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mug — to rob
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stand — to bear
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bore — to tire

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