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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: field · bulb · nail · lean · chip · net · band · clip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — thin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. clip — a video
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — for sport
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — after costs
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to bend
  20. net — in sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. band — a ring
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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