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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: land · bat · staff · fork · bulb · saw · row · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — ground
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — a line

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