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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chip — for betting
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — to come from
  13. row — to paddle
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. board — to get on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. board — a committee
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to point toward
  22. row — a line
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chip — in a computer

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