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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 · fan · pass · pound · wound · bulb · saw · kid

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — child
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — a supporter

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