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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: mine · bulb · trunk · cap · pop · stand · chip · sharp

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pop — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — soda
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — belonging to me

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