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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: stand · bulb · chip · root · fine · clip · mark · cell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. root — the cause
  10. clip — a video
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — a phone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — of a word
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chip — in a computer

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