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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: press · file · lash · row · clip · staff · root · chip

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. file — a document
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — a stick
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — employees
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — a video
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. press — to push
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. root — of a word
  21. press — a publisher
  22. root — the cause
  23. chip — in a computer
  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