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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · mine · saw · wind · stock · file · object · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. object — a thing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — shares
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — to protest
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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