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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: jam · fan · rock · leaves · wound · bark · clip · chip

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rock — music
  7. clip — a video
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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