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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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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: net · tear · chip · kid · lean · rule · ground · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rule — government
  17. net — after costs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rule — to rule out

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