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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.

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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: clip · chest · jam · fork · band · object · roll · chip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — in a road
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chest — of your body
  5. band — a ring
  6. object — to protest
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. object — an aim
  9. chip — for betting
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. band — a music group
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chip — to eat
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. clip — a video
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. object — a thing
  24. roll — a cake

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