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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: ball · clip · snap · chip · patient · land · tube · perch

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. chip — for betting
  7. land — to come down
  8. perch — the fish
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. snap — to click
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — to eat

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