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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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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: pound · chair · trunk · chip · perch · clip · temple · chest

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chest — a box
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. clip — a video
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. temple — side of the head

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