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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: chip · firm · track · patient · stem · clip · fork · tube

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. firm — a company
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. firm — steady
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — to cut
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tube — the underground
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — a video
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — a container

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