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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: march · lean · bulb · wake · chip · stem · land · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bulb — for light
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lean — to bend
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stem — to come from
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chip — to eat

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