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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
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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: band · bark · fan · clip · staff · chip · pop · wind

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a music group
  11. clip — to cut
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pop — soda
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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