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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: rash · drill · swing · chip · cell · tear · hand · bulb

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chip — for betting
  9. swing — to play on
  10. drill — the tool
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in a prison

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