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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.

Make a worksheet

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: coach · chip · mug · hand · calf · wax · bowl · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — child
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. coach — a trainer

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