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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: mine · wake · chip · clip · pop · patient · hand · press

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — in cards
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. wake — a trail
  14. clip — a video
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — help
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — for betting

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