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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.

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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: mug · last · net · clip · saw · band · current · chip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. current — electric
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a face
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. net — in sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — a cup
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a music group
  14. last — final
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chip — for betting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. band — a ring
  22. chip — to eat
  23. clip — a video
  24. net — after costs

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