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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 · root · drill · stick · pop · bank · clip · rule

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. clip — a video
  3. drill — the tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pop — soda
  7. chip — for betting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rule — government
  15. root — of a word
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — a law
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — music

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