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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: saw · pitcher · trunk · cell · field · cabinet · snap · roll

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — a phone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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