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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · prune · rash · bass · chip · pop · clip · charge

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — music
  9. charge — a price
  10. chip — to eat
  11. charge — electricity
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bass — low music
  14. charge — in control
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stock — goods
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — hasty

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