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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: mine · bulb · hand · chip · lie · toast · fan · spring

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. hand — help
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  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