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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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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: bulb · stem · tear · rest · lie · band · chip · mug

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a music group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a ring
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stem — to come from

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