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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · chip · rest · mine · bulb · lean · ball · row

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lean — thin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chip — to eat
  22. lean — to bend
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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