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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · date · pitch · squash · cell · fan · bear · tube

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — completely
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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