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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: shower · mate · bay · snap · pitcher · mine · bulb · hide

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mate — a partner
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — rain
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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