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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: game · lash · patient · chip · clip · bound · saw · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. bound — obliged
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — to cut
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — a video
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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