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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 · tube · cold · chip · ground · pitcher · toast · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cold — an illness
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — to cut
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — the earth
  22. toast — bread
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tube — the underground

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