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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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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: chip · scale · bulb · field · root · date · dip · net

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — the cause
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — of a plant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. field — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chip — for betting
  17. scale — in music
  18. root — of a word
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — farmland
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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