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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: wake · clip · bound · band · bulb · chip · suit · leaves

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. clip — a video
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chip — to eat
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bound — certain

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