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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 120 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: drill · spring · chip · lie · bulb · chest · firm · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chip — to eat
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. firm — a company
  8. spring — of water
  9. firm — steady
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. firm — decided
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — the season
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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