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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: bulb · chest · leaves · fine · mate · chip · wind · coach

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chest — a box
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fine — all right
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — a friend
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fine — high quality

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