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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: leaves · track · chip · shower · wax · clip · sharp · arm

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chip — to eat
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. clip — a video
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a song
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. track — to keep track

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