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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — to come down
  15. craft — boats
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chip — for betting
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — to keep secret

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