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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
468
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: saw · clip · hand · fork · temple · bass · chip · wound

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. clip — to cut
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. hand — help

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