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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: race · pound · roll · fan · chip · prune · clip · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. roll — a list
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. race — a contest
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — to cut
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pound — for dogs

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