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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: chip · race · hide · fan · bulb · cold · cabinet · mouse

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — to eat
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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