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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: wound · pop · clip · chip · scale · rest · bulb · pound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — a break
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. clip — to cut
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — in music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — soda
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pound — a weight
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wound — an injury

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