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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — child
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a trace
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — a division
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — for digging
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chip — for betting

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