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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 · straw · branch · clip · bore · pitcher · wound · tear

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. clip — a video
  7. bore — to drill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — dry grass

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