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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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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: calf · face · pop · charge · clip · bore · chip · tear

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bore — to drill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — soda
  7. charge — electricity
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. clip — a video
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. charge — a price
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tear — to rip
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — in control
  24. pop — music

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