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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 · clip · snap · patient · object · wax · band · bore

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a music group
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bore — to drill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. object — to protest
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — to eat
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. object — an aim
  20. snap — to click
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — to tire
  23. object — a thing
  24. clip — for paper

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