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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: bulb · chip · root · staff · bear · squash · kid · chest

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. root — the cause
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — a box
  21. chip — to eat
  22. root — of a word
  23. chip — for betting
  24. squash — the sport

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