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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: wake · stock · can · tube · degree · chip · clip · wound

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — shares
  15. tube — a container
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wound — an injury

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