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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.

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: pitcher · spell · saw · safe · cold · chair · mouse · spring

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spell — a short time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — of water
  24. safe — a strongbox

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