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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · clip · wake · chip · bulb · temple

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. clip — a video
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — wild animals
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wake — a trail
  18. temple — side of the head

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