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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: clip · court · drill · rock · firm · chip · lean · wax

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — army training
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lean — thin
  6. firm — a company
  7. rock — music
  8. firm — steady
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chip — to eat
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. drill — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. court — for sport
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chip — for betting

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