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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 120 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: chip · bulb · file · bore · straw · row · squash · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. bore — to tire
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bore — gave birth
  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