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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: rest · row · jam · chip · pop · shower · clip · lean

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. shower — rain
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rest — what's left
  13. row — a line
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — soda
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. shower — to wash
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lean — to bend
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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