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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: stick · swing · wound · cell · bulb · nail · ground · chip

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. swing — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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