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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: spring · clip · trunk · field · mark · rock · bore · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chip — for betting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rock — a stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spring — of water
  24. bore — to drill

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