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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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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: foot · race · branch · nail · bulb · clip · root · chip

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. race — a contest
  5. chip — for betting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. race — humankind
  11. foot — a measure
  12. root — of a plant
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. root — the cause
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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