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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: field · chip · rash · board · leaves · nail · clip · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. field — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — to get on
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — for betting
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — a video
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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