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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. current — electric
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. roll — a list
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bulb — for light

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