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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.

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: clip · current · wound · chip · march · leaves · pound · straw

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — a weight
  3. clip — a video
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — electric
  9. march — music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — to eat
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. chip — for betting
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — for dogs

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