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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: rash · bulb · branch · chip · cold · racket · spell · game

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cold — an illness
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — a series
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — hasty
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. racket — a loud noise

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