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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: calf · cell · march · pitcher · rash · bulb · hide · saw

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. saw — the tool

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