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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: stem · pop · date · bulb · ground · chip · nail · patient

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. stem — to come from
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. date — the fruit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — for betting

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