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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 116 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: bore · mate · chip · spring · clip · patient · mark · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a trace
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — a video
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. saw — the tool

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