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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: wound · staff · row · bulb · charge · chip · hide · sharp

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wound — an injury

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