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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — a division
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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