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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: chip · hand · wax · mate · kick · perch · pitcher · clip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chip — to eat
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — a video
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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