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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · chip · drill · clip · stock · file · prune · bear

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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. prune — to trim
  4. file — a line of people
  5. drill — army training
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — for betting
  20. clip — a video
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — a practice

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