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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: chip · patient · saw · straw · plane · fan · clip · current

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — of water
  9. chip — for betting
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chip — to eat
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. current — happening now
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — a tool
  24. current — electric

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