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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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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: kid · clip · fork · chip · safe · tube · mouse · patient

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. tube — the underground
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kid — to tease
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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