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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: leaves · date · bound · bass · shower · roll · chip · clip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — for paper
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — certain
  12. date — the fruit
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — to cut
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — for betting
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bass — the fish

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