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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: clip · charge · present · tear · nail · bulb · chip · date

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — in control
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. present — there
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. charge — electricity
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — a gift
  10. chip — to eat
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — for paper
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tear — from crying

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