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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: chip · face · club · wave · land · bear · arm · march

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — ground
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. face — to confront
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. land — a country
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — a group

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