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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: clip · bore · lean · wax · tube · arm · wound · chip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bore — to tire
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lean — thin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — the underground

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