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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. drill — the tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — army training
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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