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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 120 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: leaves · present · pitcher · stand · chip · file · patient · clip

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. chip — for betting
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. present — the time now

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