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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pop · spell · chair · row · track · fan · trunk

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. row — a line
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chair — a leader
  20. track — a path
  21. pop — to visit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — music

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