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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: wind · cold · bulb · row · temple · wave · can · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. row — a line
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chip — to eat
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. can — a tin

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