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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: chip · clip · swing · rock · ruler · prune · present · march

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. swing — to play on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — music
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — to cut
  11. present — a gift
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — a video
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. march — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — in golf
  24. present — there

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