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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 · deal · chip · calf · wave · hand · fall · stem

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chip — to eat
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — 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