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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: bulb · clip · chip · swing · field · leaves · mug · snap

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. swing — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — to cut
  9. field — farmland
  10. swing — to play on
  11. clip — a video
  12. snap — to click
  13. field — a subject
  14. chip — to eat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — a cup
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mug — a face
  24. bulb — of a plant

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