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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: clip · pound · fall · fan · root · chip · press · cell

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. pound — a weight
  3. root — of a word
  4. clip — to cut
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — a video
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fall — the season
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  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