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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: clip · pound · nail · pop · present · stand · fan · wave

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — a video
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pop — music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. present — the time now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pound — a weight
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pop — to visit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — for paper

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