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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: bear · file · chip · bulb · rash · roll · patient · land

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. chip — to eat
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. land — ground
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. roll — a list
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a document
  23. land — to come down
  24. chip — for betting

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