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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 120 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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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: pitch · saw · bulb · content · rush · rock · tear · march

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. content — happy
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. march — music
  24. bulb — for light

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