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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: present · stem · swing · chip · kid · patient · march · bulb

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kid — child
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — there
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. swing — to play on
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — the time now
  24. swing — music

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