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

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — a price
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — electricity
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chip — to eat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. band — a music group
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. dip — to sink

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