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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: bulb · arm · bark · mate · chip · press · roll · court

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. court — of law
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chip — to eat
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — of a king
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bark — to shout
  18. roll — a cake
  19. court — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — for light

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