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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: land · chip · lie · spring · calf · bulb · staff · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — the season
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — a stick
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chip — for betting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — of water
  16. chip — to eat
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. staff — employees

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