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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
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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: lash · present · branch · file · hand · date · chip · clip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — to cut
  7. file — a line of people
  8. branch — a division
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — help
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. file — a tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — a gift
  17. hand — in cards
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — a video
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. present — there
  24. chip — in a computer

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