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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: patient · rule · racket · clip · mine · chip · band · wave

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — a video
  10. band — a music group
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a ring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — for paper
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — government
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chip — to eat

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