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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: season · game · wake · ground · track · bulb · chip · arm

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — for betting
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — a path
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chip — to eat
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — of the year

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