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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: spring · kid · mouse · bark · chip · fine · bulb · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — child
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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