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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: spell · clip · chip · file · mouse · net · can · band

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — for catching
  13. spell — letters
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — for betting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — to eat
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — a video

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